


Never Again

by Do_not_careissa



Series: Star Sapphire Jason [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Green Lantern - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Batfamily (DCU), Blood and Injury, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Career Ending Injuries, Dick Grayson Angst, Dysfunctional Family, Everything Hurts, Family Issues, Gen, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Hurt Dick Grayson, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned Jason Todd, Minor Character Death, Past Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24114937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Do_not_careissa/pseuds/Do_not_careissa
Summary: Bruce is wrong, he has to be. Jason isn't a Red Lantern. Dick won't believe it, not without some actual proof. But with Bruce's claim having such a negative effect on  the family it's  only a matter of time before their enemies notice them falling apart. Dick doesn't know what to do, not about the family, or Jason, or even this inferno that's burning through his head.Someone is going to get hurt because of this, and Dick doesn't know how to stop it.
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Koriand'r, Dick Grayson & Roy Harper, Talia al Ghul & Dick Grayson
Series: Star Sapphire Jason [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632121
Comments: 48
Kudos: 463





	Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up, the rating has gone up to M rather than the usual T of this series.  
> Also, warnings for minor character death (only appears in this fic of the series), death by fire, life threatening injuries, mental health issues, relapse into destructive behaviors, mentions of self loathing and depression, and talks of attempted and successful murder

The cave was filled with its usual chatter, well, as usual as it got while the sun was still up. On most days everyone would be in the manor at this time of day, if not out in the city. Instead they were downstairs, surrounded by metal, rocks, and the incessant screeches of bats.

Dick looked around, eyes tracking around the table as he impulsively took yet another head count. Eight plus him made nine, they were all there, all except for Bruce, because of course they were. He was up on the Watchtower in some meeting, one Dick and the rest of the family weren’t privy to, and likely one they should be. Instead they were relegated to waiting for him, for Bruce, the one who had called this meeting in the first place.

It rubbed Dick the wrong way, the callous nature of it, acting as though everyone could and should drop everything on a moment’s notice. To be honest, Bruce had been acting distant again, keeping the family at arm’s length ever since the attempted alien invasion a few weeks back. As far as Dick knew Bruce hadn’t suffered any head traumas, nothing that would explain this distance and rejection of the family. He wanted to brush it off, but Bruce had been making some genuinely good progress in opening up and actually being a part of the family again, to showing everyone that he actually cared. Since the invasion, however, he’s shut down, hardly reacted to anything. This meeting up on the Watchtower was just the latest example. With these things the Titans and the other groups were always present, maybe not as a whole but at least a member or two each. Usually that meant Dick and Tim would be there as representatives for their respective teams, but not this time. No, Bruce had called the meeting and made it clear only full time members of the Justice League were to be present, no Titans, Teen Titans, Young Justice, nothing.

It pissed him off quite frankly. He’d been in this for nearly twenty years now, far longer than some of the League members. He’s led how many teams over the years, took the Batman mantle when Bruce “died”, worked to cultivate his connections across the community through respect and hard work, if something was going down he should know about it.

“Something has to be going on,” Tim muttered next to him, his eyes trained on his tablet. “It makes no sense why he’d bar us from this meeting unless it has something to do with us, but I can’t figure out what that could be.”

“Maybe he got replaced by an alien or something,” Steph said. At their raised eyebrows she explained, “the invasion two weeks ago? He’s been acting super weird ever since. Invasion of the body snatchers is a very real possibility, just saying.”

Dick bit back his response, held back the annoyance he was feeling at the situation. Can’t let them see him angry, he needs to stay level headed, if not for himself then for everyone else. “No, Clark would have mentioned if he got swapped out for a body double.”

“You sure about that?” Steph asked with skepticism.

“Yeah, B doesn’t like it but every time he and Clark meet up he checks him for anything, vitals, x-ray, all the works. If something were different he’d know immediately.”

“Weird.”

“It’s not like he tells anyone when he’s injured,” Time said, exasperated. “The idiot will walk on a broken leg if it means he isn’t asking for help. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on him.”

“And anyway,” Dick continued, holding back a well deserved pot and kettle remark, “whatever they’re talking about can’t be too bad. They’d make sure we were there if it was.”

Based on Tim’s look he wasn’t convinced, and really Dick couldn’t blame him. Maybe a month ago they could believe his words, back when Bruce was trying to be better, when he was opening up. Since this relapse they just couldn’t.

“Hey guys,” Duke called from his side of the table. He fidgeted a bit, his eyes shifting between the people present at the table and the empty chair that sat between him and Cass. “Shouldn’t Roy be here? I mean, he’s been helping us with bat stuff, it only seems right that he’s here for whatever B’s gonna tell us.”

Damian shook his head, eyes downcast to his paper. “Father would never allow it.”

God did Dick hate hearing Damian sound like that, so reserved like he was shrinking back into himself. He needed to get him out again, away from all this shit. Maybe it was time for another trip to Kansas.

Before he could voice the idea the boom tube’s alarm went off, alerting them to Bruce’s arrival. Even from this distance Dick could see how tense he was, how his shoulders were too straight, his lips too drawn. He approached like a storm cloud, dark and foreboding, a sign of things to come.

“You think I can sit this one out?” Steph whispered to Tim, eyes trained on Bruce.

“I think that option’s left the building,” he whispered back.

Bruce made it to the table, eyes hard as he took in everyone present. He slid the cowl from his head, revealing dark circles beneath his eyes. He wouldn’t sit down, and in a way Dick figured he probably couldn’t.

Alfred moved next to the caped man, concern written in his brow. “Master Bruce is everything alright?”

The silence drew out amongst them, all eyes trained at the head of the table. Bruce stared down, unseeing as he leaned against the table’s edge, the leather of his gloves squeaking the more he leaned. Finally, barely loud enough to be heard, he said, “I know where Jason is.”

Sound erupted within the group, eyes wide and filled with hope as they all tried talking over each other.

“Oh, thank heavens.”

“Is he alright?”

“What happened?” 

“Did somebody take him?”

“Where did he go?”

“He’s coming back soon, right?”

“Why did he leave?”

“Who found him? How?”

“You’re sure it’s him?”

“When is he coming home? He is coming home right?”

Bruce ignored all their questions. When he finally looked up to them he looked haunted. “Jason is no longer on Earth. There is the possibility that he is not even in this sector.”

“So someone did take him,” Tim said.

“The Lanterns are bringing him back then?” Barbara asked. “Or have they already and he’s just in quarantine or something?”

“No,” Bruce said. “He wasn’t kidnapped. He… Jason is a Red Lantern.”

The group froze, voices caught in their throats as they looked to Bruce. Dick felt his heart drop, the words eating away at every concern he could have for Jason. No, no, that couldn’t be right, that wasn’t right. He wouldn’t let it be right damn it. 

“Who told you?”

“Are you sure?”

“But there’s been no sign of Red Lantern activity on Earth in years.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Did you actually see him?”

“For fucks sake Bruce this isn’t funny.”

“Jason would never.”

“Enough!” Bruce’s voice boomed throughout the cave, echoing around them as the bats screamed above. Dick felt his hackles rising, his leg jumping in an ever increasing rhythm as Bruce refused to answer their questions. “Jason is a Red Lantern, as such he is no longer an ally. If he returns he is to be apprehended immediately and delivered to the League so he can be dealt with.”

Memories formed before Dick, memories from before Jason’s disappearance, everything that happened in those months leading up to it. He could hardly remember the younger man ever getting really, truly angry. The few times he did always seemed to coincide with Bruce singling him out for something. In each of those cases he’d usually removed himself, took himself out of the situation before it could escalate. The only other times would be when one of the others were hurt or in danger, and really that had been more determination than anger.

“Where did you get this information?” Barbara asked, eyes sharp.

"That's not what's important--"

"Yes it is." Her voice turned to ice as she dared Bruce to ignore the question. "Who told you and what exactly did they say?"

Dick watched as Bruce's frown deepened, eyes blazing with fury.

"Why aren't you telling us?" Dick demanded. "Is it because you're scared you might be wrong?"

The grinding of Bruce's molars could be heard across the table, his eyes cold as steel as they dug through Dick's expression looking for any sign of an out. "Gardner," he growled upon seeing it was a lost cause.

"And what did he say?"

"He knows where Jason is."

"So he didn't actually tell you he was a Red Lantern?"

"He didn't have to."

"Bruce--"

"Jason's anger and his need for vengeance has been a problem since he returned. Pit rage or not, it has motivated his actions for years. Gardner has been a Red Lantern, he still keeps in contact with a number of them. It's not out of the realm of possibility that that's how he found him."

"And? Guy has contacts with nearly every Lantern Corp, just like the other Lanterns. That doesn't mean anything."

"You can hope for the best Dick, that doesn't make it true."

"Is this why you kept us from attending the meeting today?" Time cut in, his voice rising. "So you could try to control the narrative? Because you knew we'd fight you on this? For fuck's sake Bruce, you were getting better. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Bruce's eyes hardened even more, lips pulled thin as he stood to his full height. "Clearly it was a mistake telling you in this way. You're too emotionally invested to properly look at all the information available."

"Or maybe you just wanna assume the worst about everyone," Steph snapped.

"Kate, Cassandra, and I are the only ones to patrol tonight, the rest of you are too compromised."

"Are you fucking kidding me? No, sit your ass down, we're not done yet," Dick snarled. What the hell was he thinking? Did he really think he could just say that shit about Jason, make those claims, and expect them all to just fall in line? After everything they've learned since he disappeared? No, fuck that.

Bruce ignored his demand as he turned to Kate and Cass. "Let's go."

Kate looked uneasy from where she sat, clearly debating on what the right choice was here. Cass didn't have that problem. "This is _wrong_. You know it is wrong."

Bruce stared down at her for a moment, their eyes meeting in a battle of wills. Bruce turned, cape snapping behind him as he stalked away without a word.

"Hurt does not mean you can hurt others," Cass yelled after him, eyes never leaving his back until he was out of sight.

Dick felt the energy leave him even as he remained tense, his head pounding as he tried to handle the raging emotions flying around in his brain, the fear and frustration, the pity and the want. But in the deepest recesses, just as it always was, the deep seated fury that was starting to boil.

* * *

It stayed with him, this anger, for days after. Anger at what though, he couldn’t be sure. At Bruce? Jason? Himself?

About a week later it started to dissipate. It’d spring up every so often, whenever he heard that low growl across the comms, whenever he had to see him face to face. It was torture. He’d tried following his therapist’s instructions to calm himself, went through the work of listing off things he could see and hear and feel, but it just wasn’t enough. He could feel himself spiraling, panic at his situation growing. No, he couldn’t give in to it, he had to be strong, if not for himself then for the others. Bruce had returned to being a loose canon with no filter, the bats looked to him to be the calm in the face of that storm. He was their hope for a better tomorrow, where the family was whole and Bruce went back to showing that he cared about them instead of just claiming to.

He was their rock, their stability, who was he to deny them?

That’s how he found himself in Metropolis, in a quaint little diner that smelled of smoke and honey. It was calming to not have the stench of sewers and smog hanging over him, to actually see the sun unimpeded for once. Sometimes he wondered why he stayed in Gotham, why he didn’t move somewhere nicer, somewhere brighter and clearer, where he wasn’t surrounded by complete and total darkness day in and day out. He was raised in Gotham for the later half of his childhood, that didn’t mean it had to be, or even had to remain, his home.

Clark entered the diner a few minutes later, his tie askew and hair a mess as he apologized for being late. They both knew why he was late, the television in the corner showed it quite clearly, but Clark always had a need to apologize for these sorts of things. Must be the Kansas in him.

They fell into their usual rhythm, asking each other how they’ve been, what’s happening with their respective families, how work was going. Dick lamented that he still didn’t have a job, not since he quite the police force. He didn’t need one per say, being Bruce’s son meant he didn’t struggle for money, not if Alfred had any say in the family bank accounts, but it felt wrong not to do something with himself, something more meaningful, more… personal than the work he did at night. But between the family and his work as Nightwing he didn’t have the energy or time for it, let alone care enough to even try to find work. Really though, what could he do? He didn’t finish college, his employment history was near non-existent, and he was the son of the local billionaire which meant wherever he worked there’d be a media frenzy, who would want to hire him?

“You did have another job though,” Clark countered. “It ended twenty years ago, sure, but the Flying Graysons are a big deal, and that’s still considered a job.”

“So I’ve got two spots filled for the resume then,” he said saracastically as their food arrived.

“Think about it Dick. You’re a top of the class gymnast with the record to prove it. And I know some of those moves Damian has been using lately are yours, you taught him just like you taught Tim and the others.”

“What exactly are you implying here Uncle C?”

“From where I’m standing, well sitting, it seems like being some sort of gymnastics instructor would be a good fit for you. You’re really good at what you do Dick, and you’re good at handling kids, including the ones most would consider a lost cause.”

He didn’t need to say the name, but it was clear who he was talking about. It had been difficult for the first year or so of Damian being in Gotham. Once he became Robin it only seemed to get worse. Most of the heroes tried to help him and get to know him, but he’d been prideful, haughty, quick to anger and easy to be enemies with. He’d become a sort of pariah, no one willing to try again with the little prince with the big attitude. How much worse would everything have been if Dick hadn’t been there? Would Damian have been shipped off back to Talia?

“And as a bonus,” Clark said, pulling his attention back, “if you’re teaching gymnastics you being Bruce’s son would just be background noise. I mean, who cares that some billionaire’s kid is working there when you’ve got a Flying Grayson, practically a legend, teaching your child?”

Dick hummed, taking a sip of his drink. That did sound nice.

“Just a thought. Couldn’t hurt to look into it.”

He filed it away, intent on returning to the subject later. They returned to their food, the dull hum of the diner keeping Dick calm. As their desserts arrived he felt his heartbeat quicken, remembering why he’d wanted to talk to Clark in the first place. He needed to talk to him about it, but at the same time he really didn’t want to.

“Dick? What’s wrong?”

His mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, words trying to form but unable to as his throat dried up. Finally he set his fork down, bringing his hands together as he looked back to his uncle. “Do you… do you think B is right? About Jason?”

“I don’t know,” Clark answered a moment later, sadness radiating off of him in waves. “On one hand, certain things line up to make it seem plausible, but then other things… I want to see the best in people, I work towards the best case scenarios. Bruce, he looks at the worst case, what’s the worst possible thing that could happen and works against that. It works well with most things, but with this I’m not sure.”

“I don’t know what to do. B was, he was finally starting to get better, he was seeing a doctor, he was opening up, he made an effort. He was starting to smile again. But it’s like, when Guy told him he knew where Jason was he snapped, everything that happened over the last two or three months, all that progress, just disappeared into this black hole and there’s no sign of it coming back out.”

“Tell me something Dick. I haven’t spent any time with Jason since his return, not outside of a few fights here and there. All I have to go on is what Bruce tells me. So tell me, do you think he’s right in this instance? Is there any merit to what he’s saying?”

The words ran through his head a few times, forcing him to think them over again and again. “No. I don’t think he’s really thinking about Jason here. He’s thinking about this caricature of his dead son, this perversion that he created in his head back when Jason first returned and he didn’t know how to cope. He’s gone back to latching onto that as his view of him. Jason could be red, it’s possible, but I… Jason wasn’t angry before he disappeared. He was withdrawn, sad, maybe even depressed if I’m being honest here.” He blew out a long breath, eyes falling to the table. “It’s not like any of us really stopped to notice before, did we?”

“Dick…” Clark reached across the table to rest his hand on his shoulder, concern in his eyes. “Whatever Jason is, wherever, we’ll help him.”

“Yeah,” Dick agreed with a pain in his chest directed right back at himself. “Thanks Uncle Clark.”

* * *

The apartment was Jason’s, that much was obvious. Even if Dick hadn’t followed him here months ago to stitch him up he’d know. Lian’s toys and Roy’s gadgets could only do so much to hide the hidden panels Dick knew existed, the gun mounts hidden under furniture, the loose floorboards that undoubtedly hid a couple grand and more than a few passports and other legal documents if Jason ever needed to leave in a hurry. Looking now, seeing it all in contrast to the bright colors a child brought to the space, it made him sick. How long did Jason take to prepare all of this? How little did he trust the family that even here, in his own home, his own space, he felt like he needed quick access to weapons? Like he needed to prepare to run and abandon everything with a second’s notice? He’d known this was all here before, had joked about it, but he’d never really seen it.

Dear god, how was he so blind?

“Here,” Roy said, pushing a beer into Dick’s hand. “You look like you need it.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He popped the can’s tab, then proceeded to down half of its contents.

Roy grabbed his elbow to pull him to the couch. It was now that Dick realized it was definitely not the same couch he’d crashed on after stitching Jason up. This one was too soft, too clean, too… unstained.

“Got it when me and Lian moved in,” Roy explained as he moved his daughter’s toys and books to the coffee table. “Didn’t want her getting freaked out at all the, well you know.”

Dick sat down, taking another swig as he did. Then his eyes caught a few of the toys Roy had moved, the red on their heads. “Are those?”

“Oh, these?” He picked the trio up, their little limbs flopping around as he sat down with them. “Yup. Lian was complaining about how the Justice League and you bats all have plushies, but the Outlaws don’t.” He chuckled as he held up the little Arsenal doll. “So we made her some. One of a kind, these three. Took forever to make them, lots of trial and error, but I’d say we’re pretty proud of how they turned out.”

Dick set his drink on the table, taking the Kori doll from Roy’s lap. Her hair, was that yarn? No, not quite. He couldn’t tell what it was, but it laid in tight little curls on her head. They somehow managed to find the right color for her eyes, and the stitched on smile fit her perfectly.

“She just got back you know.” Dick looked up to Roy in question. “She wanted to look around a bit, check out some stores. She’ll be back after she picks up Lian from school.”

“That’s, that’s good.” He looked back down to the doll in his hand before turning to look at the last one in Roy’s lap. Roy held it out to him, the doll’s face pointed towards him. Dick took the little doll, the red helmet bright against all the blacks and grays of its clothing.

“There’s a secret with that one,” Roy said as he reached to take it back. Dick watched as he carefully lifted the thick material of the helmet off, revealing a face with a little domino mask.

He ran his fingers through its hair, shorter and thinner than the Kori doll’s. Interesting, there was a little white patch in the hair. Was that some inside joke between them? A mistake in the fabric? What did it mean?

“He’ll be back Dick,” Roy said as he watched him. “I don’t know when, but he’ll be back.”

“How can you be so sure?” He looked to his friend with desperation in his eyes, hoping beyond anything that he could put his worries at ease.

“Because I know him. He’ll be back Dick, he just needs time.”

“But…”

Roy tilted his head, eyes roaming his face, trying to find what was wrong. “But what?”

Dick looked back down to the dolls, to the visage of his friends and what should be his little brother. “Bruce believes Jason’s a Red Lantern,” he explained as he held the dolls close. “I don’t believe that, I don’t want to believe that, but I keep having these thoughts you know? What if he is a Red Lantern? What pushed him over the edge? Why now and not before? Jason’s not a Red, I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes, but the idea he could be, it… It makes me feel like a failure Roy, like I let him down. I get our relationship isn’t the best, it’s never been that good, but I’m supposed to be his brother, I’m supposed to have his back, but I failed him.”

“Dick…” Roy’s voice forced him to turn, greeted with eyes of sadness, possibly even pity. “Jason leaving isn’t on you, not fully. Yes, you could’ve done better, everyone could’ve, but at least you were trying. You have so many people who depend on you, Jason understood that, he wouldn’t fault you for helping the younger bats over him. I know he wouldn’t. He’s been struggling for years and no one person is fully equipped to help him through all the problems that have manifested around him, but those last few months when you could you tried. That’s more than could be said for other people.”

“I understand that, and that’s what makes this worse. God Roy, I felt so, lost? Angry? Desperate? I don’t even know, when Bruce said that. Sure, there was anger at Jason for leaving, for taking a Red ring, but then I was just angry at Bruce, at everyone, at myself, for not doing anything sooner, then completely at Bruce for making that claim, for saying it so matter of fact without any proof. And to top it off, he waited two weeks to tell us Roy, two fucking weeks to tell us that Guy talked to him, that he and the Lanterns know where he is.”

“Well, let me clear something up for you Dick. You don’t take a Red Lantern ring, there is no acceptance there, once its sights are set on you that’s it, it’s game over. Hal told me he’s seen those rings claim ‘you belong to the Red Lantern Corp’ or some shit when it goes on someone. If Jason were a Red, chances are he didn’t agree to it.”

“How do you know that?”

“Mostly Uncle Hal, a little from Guy too. I got worried with Jay a few times there. He told me how angry he’d get, how he was worried it’d consume him. So I checked with them just to be sure, just in case it did happen what we could do to get him back.”

“So Bruce is probably wrong then.”

“Oh, he’s definitely wrong, I guarantee it.”

Dick looked at his friend quizzically, running his answer through his head. “Guarantee it?”

Roy looked at him for a minute, eyes hard as he studied his face, contemplating something. Arriving at an answer he stood up. “Stay here a minute.” He left to the bedroom, rummaging around in a drawer if Dick was hearing correctly. Finally he reemerged holding a small disk in his hand. “I got this a while ago, back when Kyle got back to Earth. Dick, Jason isn’t a Red Lantern, not now, not ever. He’s a Star Sapphire.” He pressed a button on the disk, and a small 3D model appeared above it. Roy pressed another button, pausing the image.

That was Jason’s face. That was Jason’s face, and those were his shoulders and his chest, and there’s that scar on his temple and there’s the bullet in his shoulder, and that horrible Y across his torso…

“What is this?” he asked. Before Roy could answer he powered through. “I swear to god if this is fake Roy. I mean, Jason wouldn’t wear that, it’s, it’s too revealing, he’s always been uncomfortable showing any kind of skin, he wouldn’t do that. Why would you…?” Looking to Roy again he saw quiet resolve, felt the truth in his gaze. He felt relief looking back at the hologram, relief that Jason was okay, he wasn’t a Red Lantern or a Yellow or anything like that. He was safe.

That calm quickly disappeared.

“Why didn’t you tell us? You said you got this when Kyle came back, that was almost two months ago! Why wouldn’t you say anything?” he demanded.

“Because I didn’t trust Bruce not to go hunt Jason down. He’d make Kyle or Clark or someone take him to Oa or Zamaron just so he could drag Jason back here. You know he’d do that.”

“Then why tell me now?”

He breathed in, held his breath as he held Dick’s gaze. Letting it, he asked, “Do you remember that paperwork I asked you about?” Dick nodded. “Uncle Hal contacted Carol, the other Sapphire on Earth, to get in touch with me. He and the Greens wanted to get the ball rolling on Jason’s legal identity, to make him legally alive and a person again. Talia got involved at some point too, anything we can’t get she does. They’re expecting him to come back in a few weeks, at least to visit or something. He’s apparently been making a lot of progress, is looking a lot better.”

“And Bruce doesn’t know? About any of this?”

“He hasn’t broken down my door yet so I’d say no. For the most part Talia and I handle everything. If we need to update Carol Talia’s been going to Coast City to meet in person.”

“Bit of a journey wouldn’t you say?”

“It’s an extra precaution. It was her idea anyway. I think she wanted to study Carol, make sure she wasn’t bullshitting this whole thing. Either way we’re making progress and Carol and Hal need to know about it.”

“What about Barbara and Tim? They both have systems set up to catch this sort of thing.”

“Either I’ve somehow managed to slipped by, which I highly doubt, or they know what I’m doing and are leaving me alone, silent support and all that.”

Dick leaned back to stare at the ceiling in thought. “Those two managed to lock Bruce out of most of their systems. With Babs doing Oracle almost full time again he wasn’t able to argue for necessity of access. So you’re probably right about them knowing. It’d make sense why they’ve been so deadset on keeping him out, especially now.”

They heard a knock on the fire escape window. There floated Kori with Lian in her arms. They moved to the window so Roy could release the traps and alarms there.

“Do you think you could tell them?” Dick asked. At Roy’s confused stare he backtracked. “To the family, about Jason being a Sapphire? Not the legal stuff though, we can keep that on the down low. B’ll throw a fit if he knew about that.”

With the window open Lian jumped in, running to Dick for a hug.

“Give me a few days okay?” Roy answered as Kori gave him something. “If it’s all the same to you, I want someone there who can keep the old man from his usual shi-uh-shenanigans.”

Lian arched a brow at her father, a pout on her lips. Well, that slip up explained the money jar he’d seen by the television.

“Dick!” Kori’s melodic voice filled his ears only seconds before her arms wrapped around him. She floated into the air, pulling him up with her as she pressed their cheeks together. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too dear. How was your trip?”

“Wonderful, but I’d rather hear of your time since I left. Come, Roy said we’d order pizza and watch movies together.”

Dick laughed as she set them back on the ground, taking his hand and dragging him away, his and Roy’s conversation forgotten amongst the explosions and car chases on the tv screen.

* * *

It took a few days, but it finally happened. Dick watched as everyone fidgeted, as they looked between each other searching for answers on why exactly they were there. Out of everyone present only a few knew. Realistically that number might be higher but he couldn’t be sure. As Roy and Talia walked in he took one final look around, once again counting as he did so just to be sure. All bats now here, along with Clark, Roy and Talia. Clark had originally been reluctant to come, concerned he’d be stepping on the family’s toes in the process. Really, that was part of why Dick and Roy asked him to come. The family’s problems and the results of those weren’t limited to them, they reached much farther thanks to their influences and they needed to know that and be held accountable to it. 

The other reason was of course Bruce.

They didn’t know how he’d react and the last thing they needed was him either storming out and not listening or starting a fight. It was the same reason they were in the sitting room instead of the cave. While this may be Bruce’s house, he wouldn’t have the same control over the conversation here as he would down in the cave.

Talia caught his eye from her spot by the door. He’d offered her the invitation to come, if for nothing else than to support Damian if he didn’t react well. Meeting her gaze he understood that she was here for more. He couldn’t read her, hadn’t ever really been able to fully understand her reasons for doing anything, but he accepted that. She nodded at him, then turned to Alfred to ask a question, the dangerous gleam in her eyes hidden away from the older man.

“Alright guys,” Roy said from the front of the room. Dick noticed the lack of Lian and Kori, figured they must have stayed back. Probably for the best if he was being honest. “I’m gonna make this quick. I understand there have been some assumptions about Jason being a Red Lantern.” It was hard not to notice as every eye in the room shifted to Bruce, the tension building as he stared right back at Roy. “I’m just gonna say this once so listen closely. Jaybird ain’t a Red Lantern, he’s a Star Sapphire, end of story.”

“That’s not possible,” Damian said. “The Star Sapphires only accept women into their ranks. Todd is not female.”

“Well I mean there’s that, but aren’t the Star Sapphires powered by love?” Stephanie asked. “No offense to the big guy, but he’s definitely not the person I think of when I think loving. Not saying he has to be super open about relationships and feelings and stuff, but I just can’t see it.”

“More than one way to love,” Cass countered. “Jason loves a lot, too much sometimes. Makes sense.”

Bruce’s eyes remained trained on Roy, narrowed to slits now. Clark was staring down at him in concern. Dick could only imagine what he must be hearing from Bruce’s heart.

“Do you expect us to believe you without evidence?” Bruce growled.

Dick could feel his temperature rising, the hairs on the back of his neck raising as he glared at his father. “You expected us to believe you based on your assumptions. Roy has direct ties to Hal Jordan and the Lanterns, meaning he has actual knowledge about the situation.”

“That is different—”

“Yeah it is,” Tim cut in, "because Roy has sources to back it up, you don’t.”

Dick could see the knowing look in Tim’s eyes, its reflection in Barbara’s. So they do know then. At the very least they know Roy’s been working with the Lanterns on Jason’s behalf. Tim wouldn’t sound so sure if he didn’t have evidence to back him up, and considering Roy got that holodisc two months ago, he’s had plenty of time to gather it.

Beside him Roy reached into his pocket, pulling the holodisc out. “You want your evidence? Here you go.” Just as he’d done days prior, he started the device and paused it, leaving the image of Jason floating above it. “He’s a Star Sapphire. That bright light you saw in the recordings, that was the ring when it teleported him to Zamaron. This is him about three months ago, so four after he disappeared.”

“Have you talked to him?” Steph asked as she moved closer to the display.

“Only through others so far. Kyle dropped that off when he got back, and Carol’s been relaying messages between us and the other Lanterns.”

“Rayner.” The deep growl put everyone on edge immediately. Clark stood next to Bruce, seemingly unsure of what to do with his friend.

“Bruce? What’s wrong with Kyle?” he asked.

“He was acting strange when he was here, like his mind was elsewhere.”

“The Lanterns are always like that. You know how they are, they’re basically jetlagged when they return. They’re undoubtedly having to worry about what they need to do when they return to Oa, whatever responsibilities they have up there. That’s not to mention whatever culture shock they have to work through when they get back too.”

Bruce ignored his defense of the Lanterns, focused on the visage of Jason in his Sapphire uniform before them. “Tell me Clark, how does one become a Star Sapphire?”

Tim groaned, his frustration plain to see. “Bruce, seriously, Cass just established that Jason probably wasn’t chosen that way.”

His words went ignored as Bruce turned to stare at Clark.

“Traditionally speaking, as far as we know they were chosen based on the love of a Green Lantern.” Clark answered, his face taking on a sour expression. “But there have been exceptions like Diana.”

“Rayner did this to him.” Bruce said it so confidently, so matter of fact, anyone else might have taken it to be the truth. For Dick, all he could feel was the bubbling anger at the man, at him and his accusations, and his bullshit.

“Do you even hear yourself?” he demanded. “Kyle didn’t do anything. The ‘traditional method’ involves mutual interest anyway you dumbass, or are you implying Jason is incapable of loving someone?”

Roy grabbed his shoulder, pushed down and back in an attempt to ground him. Dick forced himself to breath, let the air run through so he could get himself under control. 

“Jason wasn’t chosen based on any romantic or sexual interest with anyone,” Roy explained. “Kyle did nothing to Jason. They hadn’t seen each other in three years before this happened, and they certainly didn’t separate on a positive note back then either. Jaybird was chosen for his own love.”

Bruce pushed himself to his feet, scowl firmly in place. “I’m contacting Ferris, and if need be Cruz and Baz to get this sorted.” 

“What exactly are you trying to do Bruce?” Clark asked as he grabbed his friend’s arm. 

“Bringing him home.”

“He’s an adult, he has every right to remain in space if that’s what he wants to do. And considering how long he’s been there and the fact he’s clearly had contact with the Green Lanterns, he’s made his decision.”

“Not if he’s been compromised, which those rings have a history of doing.”

Bruce pulled his arm away from his friend, phone already in hand as he stormed past his children. So that’s it then, he’s given actual proof and even then the only way he’ll believe it’s true is if Jason had been coerced or brainwashed. What the fuck? The closer Bruce got to the door the louder Dick’s urges screamed at him, the more his muscles cried out for blood.

Before Bruce could reach the door his arm was once again grabbed, this time twisted. His phone fell into Clark’s quick hands as Bruce grabbed his assailant’s wrist. Talia stared back at him, eyes blazing.

“I don’t recall inviting you into my home,” he snarled.

“Your invitation means little to me where my sons are concerned. Sit down Bruce, before you lose the option.”

“Damian is perfectly fine.”

“Damian is not my only child. Or have you not realized that yet?”

The tension grew thicker with every second. Dick watched transfixed as Talia stared at Bruce with unblinking eyes, like a snake ready to strike. 

Bruce turned, attempting to throw her over his shoulder as fire blazed in his eyes. Before the move could be completed she twisted, her legs wrapping around his neck as she followed his momentum and threw him to the ground with her. She rolled onto his back, one hand poised over the pressure point in his shoulder, the other holding his neck to the ground. Where he’d normally throw her off, he stayed down, breathing hard as he tried to turn to see her, outrage pouring off of him in waves. No one in the room moved to help him, not Dick or Tim, Duke or Kate, Damian or Cass or Stephanie, not even Clark or Alfred said or did anything. They just watched. He didn’t have allies in this and he knew it.

“Your right as Jason’s father has been called into question more times than I can say, especially as of late,” Talia said above him, her knee digging into his lower back. “It is actions and decisions such as these that will determine whether he returns as the son of Bruce Wayne or the son of another.”

He froze below her, eyes wild as he looked over his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”

“There are more men in this universe than you, Bruce, and unlike you some are willing to treat the children they take under their wings with love and respect. You did once, but it seems that is no longer the case.”

Dick looked to Roy confused. Talia must be talking about Jason’s legal identity, that’s the only thing that would make sense. But what’s this “son of another” thing? From the way Roy looked back at him, it was clear he knew something, something he wasn’t willing to tell him, not right now anyway.

His frustration intensified as he thought about it. Just another thing he didn’t know, just another thing keeping him from understanding the situation fully. Talia and Bruce’s words filled their room, their venom serving to only increase his anger, especially once he realized the others were all shifting towards him. Damian was huddled at his side, eyes trained on his parents like they were a train wreck, unable to look away no matter how much he wanted to.

Dick looked down at the holodisc again, Jason’s happy face staring back, and felt angry, angry at everything, at everyone, at himself. He was gone, he ran, left the planet without even a single goodbye. And the way Bruce was going, they might never get another hello.

* * *

Patrol had been getting more and more difficult lately. It wasn’t due to any actual hardships taking place in Gotham, far from it. All of Dick’s cases were closed or well on their way to it, nearly all of the major rogues were accounted for in Arkham, and the usual spring return of crime was lower than they’d expected. Overall things were going great.

So why didn’t it feel that way?

For weeks he’d had to drag himself to patrol, a deep seated fatigue growing in him. He didn’t know what was happening, how it was happening, and he didn’t really care enough to find out. He was here now, that’s all that mattered, there were more important things in the world than him and whatever storm was making its way through the inside of his brain.

One of those things happened to be the teenager next to him. It seemed the events over the last few weeks had taken a toll on Damian just as much if not more so than Dick, only instead of the burning rage that Dick felt, Damian was closing in on himself again. Damian had never been the loudest of them, not for a while, not since he’d found his place and come to understand that no one was taking it from him. He’d been calm and happy just a month ago, now not so much.

Soaring over the Diamond District, Dick came to a decision. Rather than heading back in the direction of the manor he headed towards his little apartment. Damian followed without question, likely already knowing where they were going.

“Talk to me,” Dick called over his shoulder with his standard cheer. He hated how fake it sounded, how fake it felt, but Damian needed Dick, not some angry blob of a man. “What’s nagging at you?”

Damian remained silent as he fellow him, mouth shut tight. As they got closer to their destination, he finally answered. “I am… concerned over what Arsenal told us last week.”

“About Hood being a Sapphire?” That’d be odd if that were the case. Damian and Jason hadn’t been particularly close before Jason had left, but he couldn’t see Damian having a problem with him joining a Lantern Corp, even if it was the “girly” one as others had jokingly called it.

“Partially,” Damian answered. “If what Arsenal said is true then it seems Hood chose to leave of his own free will.”

“That would be the case.”

“I don’t understand why he would leave though. He had money, he has friends in Arsenal and Starfire, he has his own section of territory here that none of us enter unless necessary. He could have whatever he wanted, why leave?”

They landed on the roof of his apartment building, giving Dick a chance to think through his answer. He thought of the times he’d left Gotham, when he’d left Bruce and Alfred behind. “Sometimes, sometimes you just need to take yourself out of a situation. If you’re in a bad place and the people and things surrounding you seem to make it worse, running can seem like the only option, and in a lot of cases it is. Run and you have the chance to find a place to heal for a bit, or you could stay and continue on a downward spiral. Those spirals, they’re never good.”

Damian looked at him with understanding, with eyes far too old for a mere thirteen year old. He could read Dick like an open book, no doubt about it. He looked down at the building below them, down to the street below with its one or two pedestrians.

“Why do you think Father was so invested in him being a Red Lantern?” He looked back to Dick. “A parent looks for the good in their children, correct? He still claims to be Red Hood’s father, so surely he should have been overjoyed at Arsenal’s revelation, rather than angry and doubtful.”

Dick pulled him close, and Damian moved without question. Was he getting taller? Dick could’ve sworn he was an inch or two lower last he remembered. “I can’t say for sure, not without getting a good look into his head. But I think he’s trying to make things make sense, he’s just not looking at all the pieces of the puzzle. B couldn’t understand why Jay would leave on his own, not unless Jay did it to hurt him, he couldn’t understand why he didn’t have control over the situation. If Jason’s a Red then both those problems go away. It would give him a reason to be angry, to move any self loathing or personal problems he’s having with the situation onto Jason.”

“To create an enemy so it is not himself?”

“Yeah. The problem is he’s not doing it consciously. After talking to Guy his brain probably looked for the easiest explanation and latched onto it. He can’t let go because that would mean something else is wrong. He’s put all this time into believing Jason wouldn’t leave unless he was forced to, the idea that he left on his own doesn’t compute.”

“How do we stop that?”

“It’s not up to us Dami, it’s up to him. We can’t make him change how he thinks, only he can do that.” They moved down the fire escape, feet light on the old steps. Admitting that, forcing himself to accept that Bruce wasn’t doing this intentionally, it made things so much more difficult for Dick. He wanted to get angry, to demand he explain why he thought Jason could ever be a Red, how after all this time he still had such a two dimensional view of him. But in Bruce’s mind he was grieving. He’d finally begun to accept that the Jason they knew now was the same Jason from ten years ago, that the man with no qualms about killing was the same kid who had gone on about second chances. Bruce was grieving, and Dick didn’t know what to do about that.

“Do you think he is happy?” Damian asked as Dick moved to disarm his window. “Todd, he wouldn’t stay there if he wasn’t, right?”

Dick thought to the last few years, how Jason had stayed with the bats, how miserable he must have been. Either he was happy up in space, or at the very least it was better than his life here on Earth.

He forced a smile as he turned to Damian. “Of course he wouldn’t, this is Jason we’re talking about. If anything he’s probably scouring through every library he finds across whatever sectors he’s visited. He’ll probably come back speaking some alien languages or something, you know how he is.”

He propped open the window and let Damian climb in first. Once the other was through he followed suit. Touching down on the floor, he noticed Damian moving towards something on the back of his couch.

“Uh, Little D?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you acquired a cat?”

“I don’t…”

Damian turned around and lo and behold there was a blue-gray cat just chilling on his couch like it owned the place. Damian reached out, letting the feline smell his hand before petting its head.

“It’s fine Richard, it’s not like I’m going to take him. Besides, having a pet has been shown to be beneficial for one’s health. You don’t need to be ashamed at owning a cat. Now, what did you name him?”

“I don’t, he’s not mine.”

Damian huffed, clearly not believing him. “Then I suppose I’ll have to decide on a proper name for him myself.” As Damian returned his attention to the cat Dick couldn’t help but notice how it watched him, how its eyes seemed for too intelligent for a simple feline.

* * *

It wasn’t often that Talia asked to meet him, if anything it was usually the other way around. He’d need her help, he’d want her opinion, needed to give her an update, something along those lines, he’d be the one to make the call and arrange a meeting. This was the first time she’d called in a long while.

“You aren’t well Richard,” she said the minute he arrived at the extravagant apartment. He shouldn’t be so surprised that she found a place like this. Even as a traitor or Ra’s al Ghul and his League she still had wealth and connections beyond his knowledge. Finding a nice, fully decked out high rise apartment was nothing for her.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” he responded as she led him inside.

“I am concerned. You’re angry, you have been for a while now, at Bruce, at Gotham, at your family, but especially at yourself. The longer this goes on the more concerned I am that the events of this last year will grow to consume you.”

“The same way they consumed Jason?” he bit out. He knew he shouldn’t say that, but if she brought him here to psychoanalyze him he may as well just turn around right now.

She unlocked a door, opening it to reveal a large open space with weapons lining the walls. A training room? She brought him here to spar?

“Jason’s anger was a result of the Lazarus Pit taking his feelings of loss and betrayal and morphing them into something much worse. He was always going to be angry, yes, but the Pit was the catalyst for its full potency. With him, however, I knew the effects were temporary. Even if its effects remained for years it would eventually cease.” She moved towards the wall, leaving Dick to study the room around him. “I took steps to speed up that process. I directed his anger elsewhere, sent him to teachers to quell his anger and give him some control over his life, handed him over to the All Caste so they could train him in how to manage that rage that burned within him, to understand it. With you, Richard, it is not clear how long this will take, nor what can be done. Your anger is justified, do not think I am saying otherwise, but if you continue on this road I fear you may not be able to leave.”

She threw him a staff, the weapon catching in his grip easily. “Why do you care?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

She struck out with her own staff, a sharp crack filling the room as Dick blocked her. She smirked, and it was on.

They moved around each other, staffs striking out in a dance as they attempted to get a hit on each other, each putting in more effort the longer the fight went on for. Any time one seemed to gain the upper hand, the other took it away. If one managed to force the other off balance, they soon found themselves on the receiving end of such a thing.

It was exhilarating in a way. Dick had grown so used to Gotham, with its low level criminals and its rogues gallery that he had grown bored, stagnant. It was the same song and dance over and over. Talia offered him a challenge where no one else could at the moment. He’d always forget how skilled she was, how truly lethal, having not seen her in an actual fight in years. She’d usually send her people out to fight, disappearing while he and the others were distracted. But facing her, it was clear she hadn’t lost her touch. She’d been born into this, raised in blood and death, taught that you either won your battles or you died for your weaknesses. It didn’t matter that he was larger than her, his blows hitting harder, she had years of experience that he couldn’t be more grateful not to have. 

They continued striking and blocking, sweeping and evading, twisting and turning and jumping, until Talia called an end to their match, her breathing as hard as Dick’s, a satisfied smile stretched across her lips. He laid on the ground, arms wide as he closed his eyes. It felt odd having this, just an ordinary spar with someone of equal or higher experience than him. With Bruce it was never… not for a few years now anyway. He felt a chill at his temple, felt water droplets forming on his forehead. Looking up he found Talia with a bottle of water.

“Dink,” she instructed.

She sank down beside him, elegant as always as she drank from her own bottle. It was nice, peaceful.

“How long have you know about Jason?” he asked, mind clear for once. He didn’t need to elaborate, not with her.

“Only a few weeks, a little more than a month now. The proxies I setup around Jason’s files and information alerted me to someone accessing them remotely, both through your cave and through the government databases. When I followed the trail it led me to your friend Roy Harper. That is how I became acquainted with him and Ms. Ferris.”

“So, none of this was your idea?”

“No. I’d wanted to give Jason his identity back years ago, but I’d foolishly believed either he would come to me or Bruce would do it himself. So no, it was not my idea; however, when I approached Roy he told me what they were attempting to accomplish. It seems this new family Jason has crafted is more interested in his well being than Bruce could hope to be at the moment. They want to give him a life not ruled by lies or his death. Who am I to deny my son that basic human decency?”

Dick stalled at her words, at the mention of a new family. The idea that he and the bats had been replaced swept through his mind, tearing a path along the way as he fought for understanding. Talia had already managed to sneak past them, acting as a mother to Jason since his resurrection, but now… 

He’d never really disliked the Lanterns, not in the way Bruce did. It took a lot to be chosen, a lot more than just willpower, and Dick could attest to the fact that you couldn’t just meet minimum requirements to be as highly regarded as the Earth Lanterns were. They had to be dedicated, had to care about the people they protected and their fellow Lanterns. He understood that, respected that. But the idea that they were giving Jason a life, that he was happy with them instead of with him and the family, it made a fire burn in him, the feeling of being replaced an all too familiar one.

He was caught off guard by the bottle whacking his head. His eyes were wide as he stared at Talia.

“Calm your thoughts Richard. It is painful to watch. You have a right to your pain, but you cannot allow it to control you.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, concern in her eyes that he’d only ever seen directed at Damian. “If you wish, I have people who could help you. They could teach you better ways to manage this.”

He stared back, throat dry, unsure of how to respond, unsure of what was even wrong with him.

* * *

Lian’s giggles always brought him joy, no matter how he was feeling, so it wasn’t that surprising when Kori showed up at his apartment with the girl in tow. Kori always knew how to make him feel better, always.

She’d paused at seeing the cat, her brows pinched as she studied it. Lian had no such reservations, instead dashing to pet the feline. As Kori continued to stare Dick grew concerned. 

“Kori, you alright?”

“Yes, yes. I apologize,” she said as she moved to remove her shoes. “It’s just, that cat looks familiar.”

“He showed up a while ago, somehow let himself in. He isn’t causing and problems so I’ve let him stay.”

“Is that wise? He could be diseased.”

“Damian checked him over, gave him a few shots the other day. From what he could tell he isn’t sick, no rabies or anything like that. He doesn’t have a tracker, and no collar either. There’s something on his tail but he won’t let us near it. Dami figures it’s best to just leave it alone for now. Only issue is he keeps raiding the fridge somehow. Considering how big he is, I’m not surprised he gets so hungry.”

“Hmm.” Kori’s eyes narrowed at the cat again, still unsure. “I have a bad feeling about it Dick.”

“Okay.” He turned back to Lian and the cat, calling out to the girl. “Hey Li, come here, I’ve got that new show you wanted to see!”

“All of it?” she asked, hand hovering over the cat’s head.

“Yup, plus all the deleted scenes. Got it on DVD after all.”

She looked back at the cat, lip pouting. “But what about the kitty?”

“He doesn’t really like tv hun. I need to feed him in a bit anyway.”

She rubbed the cat’s ears one more time, kissed his forehead, then jogged over to where Dick was inserting the disc.

“You said this was good right?” he asked her.

“Yup, it’s got all kinds of cool stuff and magic, oh and this really cool dragon. Uncle Jay watched another show like it with me. That one had a talking unicorn!”

“Ooh, Uncle Jay did huh? Did he like it?”

“He really, really likes it, yeah. We’re supposed to watch the rest of it when he comes back,” she exclaimed.

He chuckled as the opening credits rolled. He jostled her hair before moving back to Kori.

“Does Jay really watch this stuff with her?” he whispered. “Doesn’t really seem his sort of thing.”

“He does. He tends to enjoy these a lot actually, not that he says so. It’s different enough from reality that he isn’t anxious when something is wrong, but not so different that he can’t understand the characters and their struggles.”

“Huh.” He turned back to the tv screen, trying to see her explanation in the show. “I never really thought of it like that.”

“Most wouldn’t, so you shouldn’t feel bad about it. Jason is very selective in who he divulges certain information to. He actually didn’t tell Roy or I about these shows, we just happened to find him and Lian asleep after watching them. He expects ridicule if others know he enjoys this kind of entertainment, which is understandable, so we never told him.”

He watched the tv, as the bright characters moved across the screen. Some wizard was attacking the town, his evil monkeys flying down to capture the townsfolk. Jason actually liked this stuff, who’d have thought.

“I forgot to ask,” he said, “how was Tamaran?”

“Different, very, very different. It is not the same Tamaran I left all those years ago. Unfortunately, it is also not a place I find myself comfortable calling home.” She looked lost as she said it, sadness in her voice at the loss of what had once been her home and family. Did the people there welcome her back? Did they reject her presence? How different would it have been if she’d been able to return earlier?

Dick really couldn’t imagine being in her situation, the pain of losing his home, his family, the way she had. He’d lost his parents, sure, but he still had people he knew there to support him. Kori had to start from the ground up.

“Then where do you call home?” he asked softly.

A small smile crossed her face as she looked back to him. “Here, with my friends. With the people I love.”

He felt that familiar pull in his gut, the one that screamed at him to lean in, to hold her close and kiss her just as he’d done before. But he shouldn’t, too much time had passed, too many things had happened for them to just pick right back up again. It wouldn’t be fair to her, to either of them. She deserved so much better than whatever he could give her.

A hiss from the cat drew their attention, its eyes drilling into Dick as something red started dripping from its mouth.

“The kitty’s hurt!” Lian cried as she moved to help it.

“Lian, no!” Kori pulled the girl into her arms, away from the cat. Her eyes glowed bright as she floated away, reading to protect Lian if need be.

Dick watched, horrified as the red substance fell from the cat’s mouth onto his counter and began to burn through the surface like some kind of acid. What the hell?

Meeting the cat’s eyes he felt the anger build up again, the fury clawing at the back of his mind to be let out.

He never should have let the cat stay. He doesn’t know where it came from, it doesn’t have any papers and clearly something’s very, very wrong with it. He put Lian and Damian and everyone else that came near that thing in danger by not forcing it out. What the hell was wrong with him?

He moved toward the cat, eyes trained on its face as he got closer. The last thing he needed was that acid sprayed at him. The cat’s too intelligent eyes watched as he got closer, the thing on its tail seeming to glow. He could hear the beginning of a word in his mind, like they had a telepathic link to him or something. “Ray…” it said over and over again, not finishing the word. Finally the cat moved towards his window, slipping out past his locks, traps, and alarms somehow. Dick undid them all, quickly leaning out to find where the animal had gone, ready to give chase and send that thing off to the League. He couldn’t leave the cat in his apartment, but he couldn’t just let it go to hurt someone else, not with whatever it was doing.

“There you are. Where the bloody hell have you been?” a man said below, voice thick with a British accent. Looking down, Dick saw the cat hiss before quickly climbing onto the man’s shoulder, neither seeming worried about the red still dripping from the cat’s mouth. The man looked up, locking eyes with Dick. Something akin to remorse or even pity crossed his face. Before Dick could say anything the man nodded and left, leaving Dick staring at the now empty alley below. Who was that guy? Where did he come from? How the hell did he know to stand in this alley for his cat? Did he plant the damn thing here?

“Uncle Dick? What’s wrong with the kitty?” Lian called from within the apartment.

He scrambled back inside, rearming the window along the way as he attempted to calm himself. Don’t let Lian see you angry, don’t let her see you’re angry. “I don’t know honey. But I think he just found his owner outside.” Running his hand over the ruined counter top, he felt the smooth dips where the red substance had melted the rock down. It was still hot in a few places, extremely so. He’d need to get Tim over here, have him run some tests on what could cause this sort of damage.

“That seems a bit suspicious, don’t you think?” Kori asked as she moved next to him, Lian still held tightly in her arms.

Dick couldn’t do anything but agree. The entire thing made no sense. Cats that spit acid, random strangers looking at him like they could see his soul and felt sorry for him, what the hell was going on?

* * *

They should have known this would happen, expected it, prepared for it. Really, it had only been a matter of time, but emotions have a way of clouding one’s perception, and where normally there’d be half a dozen clear headed people to rope the one in, that wasn’t the case right now. 

Gotham was in mayhem, there was no other way to put it. Arhkam was in the midst of its largest breakout yet, and for once instead of going into hiding the rogues had decided it was as good a time as any to attack the city in mass. The bats were spread thin across the city, their numbers dwarfed by the amount of criminals and rogues running the streets. The police were doing what they could, but in a situation like this, that wasn’t much. Tim was stuck on comms thanks to an injury from the week before, putting Barbara in the field to deal with the Riddler’s various hackings and traps across the city. Having either of those two comm side also meant Alfred was free to watch Lian and keep her distracted from what was happening in the city, allowing Roy and Kori to join the fray.

So far everything was going as well as it could. Dick was on his own, following Scarecrow’s trail to the city’s main water plant. He rolled his eyes and huffed in frustration. Of course Crane would try this again, why be original when you and half a dozen other criminals can keep using the same plan over and over again. Observing the building he spotted a few mooks walking around, only instead of the bags Scarecrow’s lackeys always wore for masks, it was the luchador masks of Bane’s followers. Even better, he now had to deal with Bane too.

He opened his comm line to Steph and Cass. “Spoiler, Black Bat, I’ve got your man at the main water plant.” The two had been following Bane earlier, intending to find where he was keeping his extra storage of venom, but he’d managed to get away after sicking Killer Croc on them. While normally not an issue for Cass, having Stephanie there meant Croc had a distraction and was able to slow down the fight by putting the blonde woman between him and Cass. Even then they’d taken him down fairly quickly, but by that point Bane was gone, apparently on his way to meet with Scarecrow.

The two vigilantes agreed to move in on his location and with that he slipped into the plant. He moved through the building as quickly as he could, sneaking past the random henchmen along the way. Something was going on, that much was clear. Bane and Crane working together always spelled disaster, the combination of fear toxin and venom was practically a death sentence for its victims. The venom in the concoction would act as a sort of stimulant, making one’s heart speed up as the chemical worked its way through their body to alter the muscles, giving them the super strength and size Bane was known for. Combine that with the spikes in adrenaline given by the fear toxin and it was obvious why cardiac arrest was such a concern in these cases. If a proper antidote wasn’t injected almost immediately, the victim’s heart didn’t stand a chance.

Dick ran through the list of rogues that he knew were out in this mess. Scarecrow and Bane were obviously accounted for. Then you’ve got Ivy, Freeze, and Harley out doing who knows what. They were an odd match, but between the three of them Dick had reason to be worried. You had Ivy and her killer plants, Freeze with his weapons, and Harley with her unpredictability. It was a recipe for disaster. Add in their combined knowledge from their individual fields and everything go much worse. Roy and Kori had been sent to deal with them, with the hope that Kori’s powers would end the fight quicker. They’d been reluctant to join, but Dick had a feeling it was more to do with Bruce immediately barking in their ears about not killing than anything. They knew it would happen, and Dick couldn’t begrudge them their reluctance. 

In another part of the city Barbara was hunting down the Riddler with Tim helping as much as he could. The man was jumping between hacking the city’s various systems, hacking theirs, or setting up elaborate “games” that Barbara had to work through to ensure civilians weren’t injured or killed. So far they’d been successful in holding him off, but they could breath easier when he was back in Arkham.

Duke and Kate had originally been dispatched to assist in civilian evacuation. Nearly an entire block had been set ablaze and there was no telling how many people were in those buildings. Their job quickly turned to them fending off Firefly and his friends as they did so, working against both the criminals and the quickly deteriorating buildings in their bid to rescue everyone inside.

All of that didn’t even include the criminals that were out that they’d put as low priority. Cobblepot, Sionis, Dent, they were hoping those three would lay low as they’d been doing since this whole thing started. They knew Cobblepot was back at the Iceberg Lounge, likely regrouping with his followers, but they had no idea where Black Mask and Two Face had disappeared off to. Hopefully it stayed that way. They didn’t have the manpower to deal with those three on top of everyone else right now. 

Dick would say let them take each other out, but the last thing they needed was a gang war on top of this.

All in all it was looking to be a shitshow, and Dick once again loathed that Bruce had decided to once again force the League and every other hero out of Gotham. If they ever had a time when they needed the help it was now. 

Speaking of, Dick could only imagine what Bruce, and by proxy Damian, were doing. He hadn’t bothered to tell anyone where they were going or who they were tracking, just that they had a lead. That had been a while ago. It was frustrating. No, it was beyond frustrating. Dick could understand Bruce being closed off, could understand him being an emotionally cold bastard, he’d dealt with that for years, but to not relay what he was doing? While he had someone with him? While he had Damian? Are you serious right now?

Had there not been enough deaths in this family for him to realize that keeping everyone in the dark was a bad idea?

Tim was surely tracking them, but between keeping his eyes and ears on all of them as well as the whole of Gotham, he didn’t exactly have much of an opportunity to jump between street cameras to follow them.

Dick had a feeling he knew who Bruce was tailing. Like clockwork he would drop everything to go after that damn clown, act like he was the only one capable of dealing with him, like Dick hadn’t already… No wonder Jason said Bruce loved the clown more than he loved any of them, the proof was right there, they just weren’t willing to see it. He knew it wasn’t right, but in the face of Bruce dragging Damian into that mess Dick couldn’t back his thoughts, couldn’t hold back the fury that burned through him every time Bruce did this.

Steph and Cass arrived quickly, and between the three of them Crane and Bane were dealt with as swiftly as possible. He’d been right, of course, about their plans. Poison the city’s water supply with their fear venom, watch as people slowly killed themselves and possibly each other with exposure to the drug. Based on how many tanks of the stuff he could see, it wouldn’t have taken long to accomplish that. Sure there were the people not connected to the main line, but they were few and far between, and they’d be the only ones left after the fear venom worked its curse into the majority of Gotham’s citizens. That sort of thing, walking outside your apartment to find your neighbors and the entire city dying or dead, it’d seem like the apocalypse had arrived. In some ways it felt like it, especially as he heard reports of another rogue sighting in his ear.

“Scarecrow and Bane are dealt with. They’re at the main water plant. Need pickup ASAP,” he told Tim over the comms. “Need a disposal unit too, they’ve got their fear venom mix here, a lot of it.”

He could hear the frantic typing on the other end of the line, Tim sending in the request as quickly as he could. “Good. I need you and the girls out at Amusement Mile ten minutes ago,” Tim said, voice running a mile a minute.

A shock ran up Dick’s spine at the rushed words. “Red, what’s wrong?” Steph and Cass took notice, both moving to his sides.

“Batman and Robin found Joker, but he’s got help, lots of it. Joker’s got something, said something about ‘birdies’ coming in for a pickup.”

“Some kind of a plane?”

“Good a guess as any. But I need you over there now.”

The three ran through the plant, rushing across the city as fast they could, images running through their heads of what could possibly make Tim sound so panicked. Tim had seen a lot over the years, whatever this was it couldn’t be good.

“Why the hell aren’t we calling in the Justice League? This is getting way too out of hand. We’ve already dealt with how many guys? There’s more waiting to pop up behind them,” Steph said in outrage. They’d been at this for far too long tonight, and he knew she was right. The rogues out right now, causing mayhem, they were only the beginning. This wasn’t random attacks, this was coordinated.

“Tim tried earlier, before we got Roy and Kori in, and Bruce about lost his shit. It’s a wonder we managed to convince him to let those two in,” he explained, his own frustration edging into his voice. Bruce’s rules were going to get someone hurt tonight, if not worse.

“Sometimes exceptions need to be made.”

“You think I don’t know that? Trust me, I’m more than aware, but he won’t allow it.”

“Dick, get your head out of your ass. If anyone has the right to make these decisions it’s you. You’re the one people look up to, the one they actually trust to be real and honest and have their best interests in mind, not him. Do not allow his pride to put others at risk. I don’t have access to anyone on the outside, neither does Cass. Really, you Tim, Damian, and Barbara are the only ones with reach outside of the family, and the other three are too tied up to make that decision. I’m not saying you need to be Batman again Dick. That is the last thing I’m saying.”

“You’re the leader,” Cass said, “he’s the boss.”

“With great power yada yada, you know how this goes Dick, you’re one of the people who drilled it into me.”

Where normally he’d remind them of no names in the field, of keeping the personal information to a minimum, he couldn’t, not as they neared that horrible place. Instead anger and frustration tore through him, not at Cass and Steph, but at himself, at the situation, at Bruce and the Joker and everyone else that’s ever done anything to put any of them in this situation.

“Red,” he said into the comm, “get the JL over here. I don’t care who it is, but this isn’t ending soon.”

“Working on it,” Tim answered, “but a lot of them are being held up by their own problems right now. Supes has Luther, Flash has his rogues, same with Arrow and Canary.”

Horror dawned on him. “This isn’t isolated.”

“Not even close. They’re responding, but they can’t give me an ETA on arrival. Seems like every available supervillain decided tonight was their night to shine.”

“Fuck!” Of all the times this had to happen, now, when they were at their lowest, when they had no chance of holding out on this. Who’s he kidding, that’s probably why they’ve decided to do this now. The bats tend to be the tacticians of the League, the strategists, with them compromised their enemies found the perfect time to strike. “Okay Tim, just keep trying okay? We’re at the Mile now.”

“Understood.”

They landed out of sight, the old carnival creaking around them with the winds. 

“That didn’t sound good,” Steph muttered.

“It’s not. Until further notice we’re on our own.”

She sucked in a breath and nodded, face grave behind her mask. God he hated that look, hated it so much. It felt like he was marching her into a firing squad, felt like it every time anyone around him looked like that. 

He shook it off, looking to Cass for confirmation that she was ready, then moved in. 

Tim hadn’t been kidding about the Joker’s help as Bruce and Damian, even after taking out such a large group, were still completely overwhelmed. It seemed that some of the Joker’s goons had gotten a hold of some venom, their forms distorted, leaving the two vigilantes at even more of a disadvantage, especially now that they’d been separated by the group.

From what he could tell Damian was in worse shape, nursing a twisted or broken wrist, and something was wrong with one of his legs. Then again, he just might appear to be the worse off. Bruce had a habit of disassociating during these kinds of battles, the kind where the enemies were many and the injuries practically guaranteed. The pain couldn’t hurt him if he didn’t let his brain acknowledge it. Clearly in these moments his brain also couldn’t acknowledge that the teenager standing at his back didn’t have that luxury, neither did his still growing bones.

Cass nudged his side, stopping him from rushing into the fray. She pointed to where large tanks and canisters were stacked up. The usual smile was painted on them, and explosives lined their metal forms all ready to be armed. Dick could see tethers attached to each of them, how they were held together as though they’d be lifted in unison.

“He’s gonna drop them,” he whispered. That explained the birdies incoming comment Tim was talking about earlier. It was a one two combo of dropping an explosive somewhere to cause destruction while also releasing Joker gas onto the masses. Fuck, are they sure Dent’s not in this right now? With how many number twos were running around Dick wouldn’t be surprised. Maybe he was at the top of this, maybe he was leading and directing the rogues and that’s why they hadn’t seen him yet. Harvey wasn’t the smartest of villains, but he sure as hell wasn’t the dumbest. Dick heard the tell tale cackling on another platform, turned to find the Joker looking down at Bruce and Damian with almost fondness. God, why did Talia had to leave for California yesterday? If anyone would end this problem right ow it’d be her. A nice swift bullet to the head, or if she was feeling particularly festive a nice sword to the neck would work just as well. Normally he’d have a problem with it, but right now if she appeared like out of nowhere, like some glorious angel of death, he couldn’t say he’d be too upset, not with the fire burning through him.

His gaze shot between the three locations, the Joker, the tanks, and Bruce and Damian. Stop the Joker, keep the tanks from getting lifted, or help the two below.

“Wing,” Steph’s voice cut in. “You deal with the clown reject, we’ll take care of the tanks. If he’s not dealt with those tanks and his goons are gonna keep coming. B and Robin, they’ll have to hold off on their own. There’s no other option.

“Remote,” Cass said as well. Turning, he saw something in the man’s hand, a small device with buttons. “Need to get away from him. Could blow up the tanks.”

He nodded with a grimace. He knew they were right, knew there was no other option, but it didn’t make it any easier to leave the two below them to fend for themselves. Sure, Bruce and Damian knew how to fight, were both extremely gifted in their abilities, but that didn’t mean he wanted to leave them, especially Damian. “Be safe,” he said as he shot a line into the ceiling and flew away. 

“You too,” they echoed before they began moving in the direction of the tanks, readying themselves to take down the henchmen along the way.

He twisted through the high beams, staying above everyone as he watched the chaos below. He heard a yell behind him before a swift crack silenced it. More yells came before the sound of gunfire joined the voices. The henchmen below him moved in on Steph and Cass, clearing the path to the Joker.

“Ooh, you’ve invited guests!” the Joker’s shrill voice scratched at his ears as he drew near. “Are you looking to lose more of flock tonight Batsy? I mean, it’s been so long since anyone’s seen our boy Robin 2.0. Tell me, did he kick the bucket again? He’s too old for you to ground him. Ah! Or did you put him in the ground?”

Dick sped up, frantic to make the voice stop. It scratched and screamed and sliced at his eardrums, the horrid cackling made him want to puke. This had to end, it needed to end now. They didn’t have time to waste playing these sick fucking games. Too many people had gotten hurt tonight, too many had been hurt at this monster’s hands. He needed to stop him and his people or that number would be even higher.

“Tell me, my dear, were you the one to cut his wings this time? Was once just not enough? It’s like drug isn’t it?”

Dick had no idea what he meant but he wasn’t go to wait to find out. Dropping behind the clown, he grabbed the man’s arm, twisting until he dropped the remote. Dick made quick work of kicking it away, unwilling to allow the Joker the opportunity to press a single button to arm the explosives on the tanks, or the ones undoubtedly lining the walls. He wasn’t letting them go off, not now, not ever.

He deflected the other’s punches, took a foot to the knee just so he could turn the madman off balance and onto the floor. Before he could do much else acid flew from the man’s flower pin, burning into Dick’s shoulder as he attempted to keep him on the ground. 

He could hear Bruce’s voice in the distance, his yells and demands for him to fall back, to not engage, but Dick ignored him just as he did the burning on his shoulder. He’s not letting him get away, not when he’s literally within his grasp. He’s not Bruce, he won’t let him slip through his fingers.

A bullet to his burnt shoulder almost took him down, but Dick grunted through the pain, forcing himself through it. Not now, not ever again.

Dick could feel himself getting light headed as he wrestled the gun form the man’s hands, the voice yelling for him growing distorted as time went on, almost sounding frantic, concerned even. His movements became less fluid, less controlled, more rough and hard and heavy. He heard something crack as the Joker fell again, his laughter continuing even through the pain. Dick loomed over him, anger pulsing through him, this one monster the only thing he could focus on.

“Oh you poor thing,” Joker said, voice smooth like rich caramel. “He won’t pick you, you know. When it comes to who’s actually important, oh dearie it wont’ be you. He didn’t pick your brother, his oh so favored son, why would he ever choose you?”

Dick stared down at him, unwilling to let the clown get to him. He won’t win, Dick won’t let him. His family won’t be hurt by this monster again. 

The Joker rose to his feet again, attempting to strike out at Dick, a shock running through his arms as he caught the clown’s hands. “Aww, does little Nightwing not know? Did your daddy never tell how, when he had to choose between little ole e and your precious brother, he chose me?”

His breaths were coming out shorter and shorter. He couldn’t get air, why couldn’t he get air? The voice came again, Bruce, it was Bruce, yelling at him not to listen, he’s a madman, you can’t believe him, get away from him!

“Wait, that’s right,” he said in exaggerated realization as he slipped from Dick’s grasp, flitting around him before Dick successfully knocked him to the ground again. “That was right after he sent you away. Poor, poor Nightwing, sent right back to Bludhaven. Right back to your own death and destruction.” He cackled again, dark and ugly as the image of Bludhaven dug its way to the surface of Dick’s brain, the pain that city brought him. “All that and he couldn’t be bothered to tell you how he slit little Hood’s throat? How, as he pulled me out of that crumbling building to safety, he left him to die?” His laughter echoed in the space, loud and hysterical.

The yells came again, this time doubled, tripled, a woman and a boy joining in from wherever they stood. Footsteps, he heard footsteps. So many running away, heavy feet fleeing the building as lighter footfalls ran in his direction as fast as they could through the masses. 

Dick’s hands shook as they grabbed the man by his ratty jacket lapels, his breath fast and heavy as his lip snarled. Jason’s neck, the scar on his neck, it always seemed too smooth, too clean, to be done by any random criminal or any random knife. The angle, the depth, everything, it all lined up with a batarang, with the cold steel thrown from the height and with the precision that only Batman had. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out the calls from the other bats, the yelling from the few henchmen that still surrounded him, the screams coming from the comm in his ear. All he could hear was the laughter of a madman, the memory of Bruce telling him Jason was the Red Hood, that he’d slipped away after his attempt at killing the Joker had been thwarted, injured in his attempt. The words Bruce always threw at Jason tumbled around his head, blazing like an inferno as they seared themselves into his memory with a new meaning. 

“We don’t kill. That makes us just as bad as them.”

His eyes refocused on the Joker, everything around him falling into silence as those cracked red lips stretched across yellow teeth. “He picked me.”

The yelling around him came back into existence in an instant, the cries of his name chanted like a chorus of desperation as red overtook his vision, as fire burned through his veins and pain latched itself onto his entire being.

A voice droned in his head, one he’d heard before, deep and vicious as it said his name, something about rage and belonging and red. The laughter drew his attention, the white face elongated and grotesque as tears rolled down its putrid cheeks. The higher its laugh, the hotter the fire burned in place of his heart.

His heart, his heart was gone, he could feel it, feel where it should be, feel where something else was now.

The creature said something, surely something cruel and vicious and biting. Never again. The fire flowed through his veins and erupted in his bile, spewing from his mouth as the creature continued to laugh and laugh until it couldn’t laugh anymore, its face little more than a melted, burned out husk. Not again, never again.

Another voice, this one deeper, sadder, called out a familiar word as though broken. Dick. Dick, that’s his name, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter, not when his eyes moved past the kaleidoscope of colors to reach the shadow man, not when hatred and rage and vengeance burn in his very soul.

The sound of screams and cracking bones greet him upon impact, the shadow man now pressed into a wall, wetly gasping for air.

“You,” he tried to say, throat thick and burning. Dick, his name is Dick right? That’s important right? His lips pull up, sharpened teeth bared as he growled in the man’s face. Red fell from his mouth, specks of color forming on the man’s face and chest, burning deep and ugly marks into the pale skin, through the shadows that covered his form. “Liar, grrraahh… hurt.” His fingers tightened on the man’s arms, nails cutting through the dark material, deeper, deeper, skin, blood, muscle, everything.

Fire at his back, not his fire, another. A woman with fire on her head and an unbearable green around her hands. She said something, said that name again, and when he didn’t move she attacked, ripping him from the shadow man. 

They twist through the air, fire and blood thrown between them as the cries and screams below crescendo, as calls for help and Lanterns and League filled the space. He didn’t care, all he cared about was the rage ripping through him, how the fire in his heart screamed for punishment, for retribution, and the woman stopping him from getting that.

She kept her distance, her green fire scorching towards him. It should hurt, it should, but it doesn’t, why?

He saw them before she did, the man with the fire and the cat. The cat jumped on her back, claws and teeth and blood ripping into her shoulder and back as the man pulled him, his name, his name is Dick, away. The words made no sense, help and pain and rage the only things he could understand. But he knew, he knew to trust the man with fire dancing on his head. He knew this rage, he understood. 

The cat rejoined them, the woman nowhere in sight but her blood bright on the cat’s claws and mouth. They took him away, away to somewhere where his rage could be free, where his mind could be cleared.

Where the screams and the voices might make sense.

* * *

Epilogue

Chaos, that’s the only way Roy could describe the scene before him. Even now with Dick gone, taken away by the Red Lanterns, it was complete and utter chaos.

Tim’s yells filled his ears as he desperately relayed information, Kate’s demands for answers as to what the hell was going on fell on deaf ears, as Stephanie’s instructions for medical attention were followed as quickly as possible. He, Cassandra, and a just arrived Barbara worked to stem the flow of blood from Bruce’s broken body, not nearly enough supplies between them to stop it. Damian had been pointed to Kori’s limp form, tears tracking down his face as he struggled not to look back at his father.

Instead of any comforting words Bruce remained silent, his unseeing eyes trained on the ceiling above him, his body in shock at the trauma it just experienced. He wasn’t dead, not yet, but he would be if he didn’t get medical attention soon.

Roy looked over to Damian and Kori again, saw how she was just barely hanging on to consciousness. Burns and bruises littered her form, blood oozing from the gashes all over her back, arms, and neck. Whatever Dick was spewing it likely wasn’t fire. Roy had seen the Tamaranean fly through burning buildings without a second thought and no injuries. This, it was something else.

Considering what Kori told him about the cat in Dick’s apartment, he had a feeling it was the same substance that melted Dick’s counter. That meant the cat was a Red Lantern, likely the same one Hal had told him about. They were lucky Kori was even alive after fighting the both of them.

He pushed on Bruce’s shoulder just a little harder, his shirt doing what it could to soak up the blood.

He couldn’t tell you what happened, not at all. On their way from stopping their gaggle of rogues, he and Kori had seen a bright, red light dart across the sky towards their destination. Roy knew in that instant what it was, knew this couldn’t be good. He’d spent enough time with Hal, and more recently Carol, to know what the light of a power ring in route to a host looked like. He’d tried to contact Tim, tried to tell him they needed the League there immediately, Superman, Flash, the Green Lanterns, please, Lex Luthor could wait, just get them here now. But it was already too late.

By the time they broke through the ceiling the laughter had died, now replaced with the crackling of fire and the smell of burnt flesh. The room was frozen as Kori set him down, everyone staring in horror as Dick’s long, sharp, inhuman fingers sunk deep into Bruce’s arm, far deeper than they should ever go, as he snarled and growled at the man he called a father.

Kori had acted without hesitation, dragging the man she loved off of his father, tearing through the roof as inhuman noises escaped his bloody lips.

That’s when he realized the full extent of Bruce’s problems, his shock, as Dick’s claws left deep and bloody gouges in his arm and opposite shoulder, burns littering his face like spit. Whatever it was it ate right through the cowl and all the layers of the batsuit, melting it into the skin below.

It was only once he dropped to the floor, Damian’s cry of “Father!” splitting the air, that he realized there was more.

His right forearm was at the completely wrong angle, in more ways than one, his knee bent and twisted beneath him. Based on his labored breathing and the odd shape to his side, his ribs could very well be in the same state.

It took too long, far too long, for help to arrive. Clark floated down, his usual confidence gone as he sped to Bruce’s side. Others soon followed, all rushing to Bruce, all too late to stop this from happening. Kate and Duke reached their location, and Duke could only take one look in Bruce’s direction before turning to empty his stomach.

Roy moved away, allowing Diana to replace him so he could move over to Kori and Damian. Kori was whispering words of encouragement, smile soft but strained as Damian held pieces of his cape up to the deepest of her wounds. Looking now, Roy could see how swollen the kid’s wrist was, how he’d laid out his leg to remove pressure completely even though it left more weight on his hips. This, this was horrible.

He knelt down next to the teen, laying his hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay Damian,” he said, “I’ve got this. You just sit back and get comfortable, okay?”

Damian looked at him confused for a second, not fully processing the words at first, then understood. He nodded, moving back so Roy’s hands could replace his on Kori’s back.

“It’s gonna be okay Damian.”

Wally appeared at Roy’s side, crouching to check on Kori and apply more pressure to her wounds. Behind the red head, Roy could hear murmurs as everyone tried to figure out how best to move Bruce, where to take him.

“Roy,” Wally’s voice pulled his eyes back to the speedster. “What the hell happened?”

“I don’t…” he started, but couldn’t seem to finish the sentence, the words caught in his throat. He knew what happened, or at least what mattered. He’d seen Dick’s anger and frustration building for months now, this ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. He had hoped it would abate on its own, that he’d find a way to work through it, that he’d go to Roy if he needed help as he’d done in the past. Instead, that rage had festered, growing to be more and more powerful in spite of his attempts to control it, powerful enough to overtake him. 

That man that flew away, that wasn’t Dick. Dick would never hurt Kori, never hurt his family, never.

In the distance Clark rose, his cape tucked around Bruce’s broken form as he told him to stay awake, please Bruce, don’t close your eyes, not now. Bruce wouldn’t be able to understand him, they all knew that, he probably couldn’t even hear his friend’s voice right now, probably couldn’t feel the hands that held him close. Cass came over, pulling Damian onto her lap, careful of his injuries as he curled up like the child he’d always claimed he wasn’t, his form starting to tremble as she held him close.

Kori reached up to Roy’s face, fingers tracing under his eye. “Roy,” she said, “we must speak with Carol Ferris.”

He shook his head as Wally looked between them in confusion. “What does Star Sapphire have to do with this?” Wally asked.

Kori didn’t take her eyes from Roy’s face as she answered him. “Dick was taken by rage, he’s become a Red Lantern.”

“And you think she can help? Kori, Ms. Ferris doesn’t do the hero thing unless it’s a universe ending emergency. If you need a Lantern, Jessica and Simon are on Earth, they’re on their way right now, they’ll be meeting us on the Watchtower. Carol can’t heal Dick, not of whatever the ring has done to him.”

“No,” Roy agreed. “But Carol isn’t the end goal.”

Kori nodded.

In the process of their conversation Diana had moved towards them. Damian and Cass were gone, likely taken away for medical attention. Diana took Kori in her arms, careful of the injuries lining her back, before setting off for the Watchtower. The other Bats were taken away as well, injured or not. Those Leaguers that could moved out into Gotham, their sights set on the remaining rogues, any fatigue from their own fights gone in the face of seeing their colleagues’ injuries.

Roy looked over to the smoldering corpse, the skull still as long and disconcerting as it had been in real life. Even now fire crackled on the form, burning like the flames of Hell. Good fucking riddance. 

Wally placed a hand on his shoulder, sympathy in his gaze. “Let’s get you up to the Watchtower, make sure you’re okay.”

“Not yet,” he answered. “I need to check in with Lian, make sure she’s okay with Alfred, make sure Tim’s alright too.” He blew out a long, deep breath as thought of Tim, seated at that massive computer terminal down in the batcave having just had one of the most panic inducing nights of his life. “The kid’s gonna be a mess, probably blaming himself for everything, you know how it is. Someone needs to make sure he’s alright, that he’s not shutting down.”

“At least let me run you there,” he offered. “I’d be a pretty shitty guy to leave you here like, well, this. Someone needs to make sure you’re alright too Roy.”

Roy agreed, and soon he found himself at the front door of Wayne Manor, Wally at his side. Alfred opened the door, worry written into the wrinkles of his face. “Thank heavens, Master Roy, you are alright. The others are at the Watchtower I presume?” he asked as he ushered them in.

“Yeah, I need to make a call and check in here before I head up,” he explained. “Is Tim…?”

“ He is not taking tonight’s events easily I am afraid.”

“Where’s he at?” Wally asked as he pulled his cowl off. “I’ll try to talk to him while you talk with Lian, okay?”

Alfred took Wally away towards the study, leaving Roy to walk the manor alone. He fished his phone from his pocket. It was barely three in the morning. Carol probably wasn’t even awake at this hour, he sure as hell wouldn’t be if Dick hadn’t called him and Kori in. Then again, this wasn’t a normal situation. Normal call hour decorum wasn’t applicable here.

The dial tone barely had a chance to sound before Carol’s voice came through the line, all business as she asked, “It’s a bat isn’t it? It’s on the news, the new Red, it’s one of the bats.”

“Yeah,” he said as he came to the door of what was quickly becoming Lian’s room. “It’s Dick.”

“Shit. Okay, I’m gonna call Hal, make sure he and the others know what’s going on. Fuck this isn’t good.” He heard a soft humming from the other side of the line, her voice as she told her ring to contact Hal Jordan.

“Thanks Carol.”

“Nothing to thank me for. I’ll call you when I know what they’re doing. The other bats, Talia’s son, where is he?”

“Watchtower with the others. Bruce, he’s not good, not at all.”

“Alright, think you can get Talia up there? Poor woman’s about to go shoot something if she doesn’t get to her kid ASAP.”

“Yeah, I can have it done as soon as I get up there, I’ll text her when it’s done.”

“Perfect.” She hung up quickly, Hal’s distorted voice asking what was wrong cut off as she did so.

He put his phone back in his pocket and stared at the door before him. The lights were on, even for this time of night, and he couldn’t imagine what state Lian was in. Looking down at himself, his bare torso and his blood soaked hands, he wondered if he should go in now or wait and clean up. Then again, she’d always fussed more the longer he took.

He pushed open the door, immediately met with the force of a child attaching herself to his lower half. He sunk to the ground, pulling his little girl onto his lap as she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed.

“Ssh, ssh, it’s alright baby, daddy’s alright,” he whispered as held her close, his hands running through her hair in an attempt to calm her. 

Her arms tightened around him as she burrowed deeper into his shoulder, a sharp whine pulling from her throat. He pulled her tighter, kissing the top of her head as he rocked them, humming one of the songs Kori had taught him. He looked up to the ceiling, to the sky, where the Watchtower would be floating, where the bats would be huddled together as doctors rushed around trying to save Bruce. Up to where Dick would be flying away, encased in the red light of rage that should have never touched him.

He pulled Lian closer, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to keep his own tears at bay for her. 

Please let everything be alright, please. Don’t let them be too late. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've had the ending of this plotted out since at least the time I was writing part 5, boy is it good to have it out. And we'll be getting back to Jason and the boys in the next part where this mess can hopefully get fixed.  
> Dick as a RL has been an interesting idea to me, especially in contrast to Sapphire Jason. The combination of a temper he's been shown to have, having to act as second dad to the batfamily, taking on more responsibilities that would keep him from his own interests and self care, a really stressful and shitty situation, all that and constantly bottling up/hiding negative feelings would kinda lead to this explosion of anger and resentment I'd think. Like how people always say bottling up your feelings only means they're going to come out later on someone who doesn't deserve it. (I'll be posting my design for him on my Tumblr in a day or so if anyone's interested)  
> With Bruce I'm facing that issue of I want him to grow, but at the same time it's normal for people to kind of relapse into destructive thoughts and behaviors if they aren't staying on top of it, especially considering how high stress being batman would be. It's just in his case that it's turned around to completely bite him in the ass.  
> I've always wondered what would happen if literally all the rogues and criminals of Gotham just ganged up at the same time and attacked in mass. Kinda like the Arkham games only with more urgency, and more large-scale everyone is actually teaming up for Mass destruction instead of acting separately. I get the batfam are supposed to be top fighters, but there's a limit, especially when you're non lethal and mostly hand to hand combat going against hoards of guys who don't have a problem shooting you and your partners.  
> For anyone interested, I'm on tumblr [ do_not_careissa ](https://do-not-careissa.tumblr.com/)  
> 


End file.
